March 25: The Annunciation

Lenten meditations

March 25: The Annunciation

A meditation on the Annunciation by Abbot Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

THIS is a great day, not only to man, but even to God Himself; for it is the anniversary of the most solemn event that time has ever witnessed. On this day, the Divine Word, by Whom the Father created the world, was made flesh in the womb of a Virgin, and dwelt among us. [St. John i. 14] We must spend it in joy. Whilst we adore the Son of God Who humbled Himself by thus becoming Man, let us give thanks to the Father, Who so loved the world, as to give His Only-begotten Son; [Ibid. iii. 16] let us give thanks to the Holy Ghost, Whose almighty power achieves the great mystery. We are in the very midst of Lent, and yet the ineffable joys of Christmas are upon us: our Emmanuel is conceived on this day, and, nine months hence, will be born in Bethlehem, and the Angels will invite us to come and honour the sweet Babe.

During Septuagesima week, we meditated upon the fall of our first parents, and the triple sentence pronounced by God against the serpent, the woman, and Adam. Our hearts were filled with fear as we reflected on the Divine malediction, the effects of which are to be felt by all generations, even to the end of the world. But in the midst of the anathemas then pronounced against us, a promise was made us by our God; it was a promise of salvation, and it enkindled hope within us. In pronouncing sentence against the serpent, God said that his head should one day be crushed, and that, too, by a woman.

The time has come for the fulfillment of this promise. The world has been in expectation for four thousand years; and the hope of its deliverance has been kept up, in spite of all its crimes. During this time, God has made use of miracles, prophecies, and types, as a renewal of the engagement He has entered into with mankind. The Blood of the Messias has passed from Adam to Noe; from Sem to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; from David and Solomon to Joachim; and now it flows in the veins of Mary, Joachim's daughter. Mary is the woman by whom is to be taken from our race the curse that lies upon it. God has decreed that she should be Immaculate; and has thereby set an irreconcilable enmity between her and the serpent. She, a daughter of Eve, is to repair all the injury done by her mother's fall; she is to raise up her sex from the degradation into which it has been cast; she is to co-operate, directly and really, in the victory which the Son of God is about to gain over His and our enemy.

A tradition, which has come down from the Apostolic ages, tells us that the great mystery of the Incarnation was achieved on the twenty-fifth day of March. [St. Augustine. De Trinitate, Lib. iv. cap. v] It was at the hour of midnight, when the most holy Virgin was alone and absorbed in prayer, that the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her, and asked her, in the name of the blessed Trinity, to consent to become the Mother of God. Let us assist, in spirit, at this wonderful interview between the Angel and the Virgin: and, at the same time, let us think of that other interview which took place between Eve and the serpent. A holy bishop and martyr of the second century, Saint Irenæus, who had received the tradition from the very disciples of the Apostles, shows us that Nazareth is the counterpart of Eden. [Adv. hæreses. Lib. v. cap. xix]

In the garden of delights there is a virgin and an Angel; and a conversation takes place between them. At Nazareth a Virgin is also addressed by an Angel, and she answers him; but the Angel of the earthly paradise is a spirit of darkness, and he of Nazareth is a spirit of light. In both instances it is the Angel that has the first word. 'Why,' said the Serpent to Eve, 'hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?' His question implies impatience and a solicitation to evil; he has contempt for the frail creature to whom he addresses it, but he hates the image of God which is upon her.

See, on the other hand, the Angel of light; see with what composure and peacefulness he approaches the Virgin of Nazareth, the new Eve; and how respectfully he bows himself down before her: ' Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women!' Such language is evidently of Heaven: none but an Angel could speak thus to Mary.

Eve imprudently listens to the tempter's words; she answers him; she enters into conversation with one that dares to ask her to question the justice of God's commands. Her curiosity urges her on. She has no mistrust in the Serpent; this leads her to mistrust her Creator.

Mary hears what Gabriel has spoken to her; but this most prudent Virgin is silent. She is surprised at the praise given her by the Angel. The purest and humblest of virgins has a dread of flattery; and the Heavenly messenger receives no reply from her, until he has fully explained his mission by these words: 'Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son: and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father: and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.'

What magnificent promises are these, which are made to her in the name of God! What higher glory could she, a daughter of Juda, desire, knowing, as she does, that the fortunate Mother of the Messias is to be the object of the greatest veneration? And yet it tempts her not. She has for ever consecrated her virginity to God, in order that she may be the more closely united to Him by love. The grandest possible privilege, if it is to be on the condition of violating this sacred vow, would be less than nothing in her estimation. She thus answers the Angel: 'How shall this be done? because I know not man.'

The first Eve evinces no such prudence or disinterestedness. No sooner has the wicked spirit assured her that she may break the commandment of her Divine Benefactor and not die; that the fruit of her disobedience will be a wonderful knowledge, which will put her on an equality with God Himself : than she immediately yields; she is conquered. Her self-love has made her at once forget both duty and gratitude: she is delighted at the thought of being freed from the two-fold tie which binds her to her Creator.

Such is the woman that caused our perdition. But how different is she that was to save us! The former cares not for her posterity; she looks but to her own interests: the latter forgets herself to think only of her God, and of the claims He has to her service. The Angel, charmed with this sublime fidelity, thus answers the question put to him by Mary, and reveals to her the designs of God: 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren; because no word shall be impossible with God.' This said, he is silent, and reverently awaits the answer of the Virgin of Nazareth.

Let us look once more at the virgin of Eden. Scarcely has the wicked spirit finished speaking than Eve casts a longing look at the forbidden fruit: she is impatient to enjoy the independence it is to bring her. She rashly stretches forth her hand; she plucks the fruit ; she eats it, and death takes possession of her: death of the soul, for sin extinguishes the light of life; and death of the body, which, being separated from the source of immortality, becomes an object of shame and horror, and finally crumbles into dust.

But let us turn away our eyes from this sad spectacle, and fix them on Nazareth. Mary has heard the Angel's explanation of the mystery; the will of Heaven is made known to her, and how grand an honour it is to bring upon her! She, the humble maid of Nazareth, is to have the ineffable happiness of becoming the Mother of God, and yet the treasure of her virginity is to be left to her! Mary bows down before this sovereign will, and says to the Heavenly messenger: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.'

Thus, as the great St. Irenæus and so many of the holy fathers remark, the obedience of the second Eve repaired the disobedience of the first: for no sooner does the Virgin of Nazareth speak her fiat, 'be it done,' than the eternal Son of God [Who, according to the Divine decree, awaited this word] is present, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, in the chaste womb of Mary, and there He begins His human life. A Virgin is a Mother, and Mother of God; and it is this Virgin's consenting to the Divine will that has made her conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost. This sublime mystery puts between the eternal Word and a mere woman the relations of Son and Mother; it gives to the almighty God a means whereby He may, in a manner worthy of His majesty, triumph over Satan, who hitherto seemed to have prevailed against the Divine plan.

Never was there a more entire or humiliating defeat than that which this day befell Satan. The frail creature, over whom he had so easily triumphed at the beginning of the world, now rises and crushes his proud head. Eve conquers in Mary. God would not choose man for the instrument of His vengeance; the humiliation of Satan would not have been great enough; and therefore she who was the first prey of Hell, the first victim of the tempter, is selected to give battle to the enemy. The result of so glorious a triumph is that Mary is to be superior not only to the rebel Angels, but to the whole human race, yea, to all the Angels of Heaven. Seated on her exalted throne, she, the Mother of God, is to be the Queen of all creation. Satan, in the depths of the abyss, will eternally bewail his having dared to direct his first attack against the woman, for God has now so gloriously avenged her; and in Heaven, the very Cherubim and Seraphim reverently look up to Mary, and deem themselves honoured when she smiles upon them, or employs them in the execution of any of her wishes, for she is the Mother of their God.

Therefore is it that we, the children of Adam, who have been snatched by Mary's obedience from the power of Hell, solemnize this day of the Annunciation. Well may we say of Mary those words of Debbora, when she sang her song of victory over the enemies of God's people: 'The valiant men ceased, and rested in Israel, until Debbora arose, a mother arose in Israel. The Lord chose new wars, and He Himself overthrew the gates of the enemies.' [Judges v. 7, 8] Let us also refer to the holy Mother of Jesus these words of Judith, who by her victory over the enemy was another type of Mary: 'Praise ye the Lord our God, Who hath not forsaken them that hope in Him. And by me, His handmaid, He hath fulfilled His mercy, which He promised to the house of Israel; and He hath killed the enemy of His people by my hand this night. . . . The almighty Lord hath struck him, and hath delivered him into the hands of a woman, and hath slain him.' [Judith viii. 17, 18]

Christ's Passion as seen and experienced by Veronica...

The passion as seen in vision during the praying of the Sorrowful Mysteries. Present during this phenomena were Camille Debrowski, Ben and Mary Solomone, and Evelyn Murphy. VERONICA RECEIVED THE STIGMATA OF THE HANDS AND FEET AT THIS TIME (March 8, 1971). A cross appeared on her right foot in the instep area, directly in line with the big toe and second toe, near the center of the instep; but over to her left side of the instep, centered between the ankle area and toes. The nail bruise appeared on the instep of the left foot, more centered between the second and third toe from the large toe - center of instep. The right foot was crossed over the left in leftward direction. The cross fitted perfectly in line with the nail mark on the left foot.

Jesus started by requesting that on the three initial bead of the Rosary we say the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Then we entered into the Sorrowful Mysteries. During the first decade I saw Jesus on His knees, bent over in anguish, praying. He was wearing a long burgundy colored cape over an inner garment of beige control material, long and flowing. There was a great sadness in His face - great sorrow. He was talking to His Father in Heaven:

"FATHER, I WILL DRINK OF THIS CUP, DOWN TO THE LAST DREG, IF IT BE YOUR WILL. IT IS NOT I THAT SHOULD SEEK THAT THIS CUP BE REMOVED FROM ME. MY STRENGTH IS EVERLASTING IN THE LIGHT AND MY HEART A BLEEDING VESSEL FOR THIS CUP."

The second mystery: Veronica cried out: "No, no, stop that!" For there was her beloved Jesus being pulled to and fro as His tormentors pulled his upper garment from his back. They tied His wrists together and drove a spike into an upright beam. Jesus' hands were bound by strips of a brown leather-like cord. Then the central part of the cord that bound His hands was looped over the spike in the beam. Poor Jesus was pinned by His hands (looped over the beam). There were five people in this cave-like room that appeared to be dug out of a hillside - a sort of hole-room in the hillside.

Veronica screamed and winced as two soldiers took turns hitting Jesus' bare back with a long brown leather-like strap. On this strap were metal hooks, laid horizontally all along the strap. These nail-like, claw-like fixtures on the strap cut and scratched deeply into Jesus' flesh, causing blood to pour out. It was a despicable game with the soldiers. They laughed and joked; Jesus said never a word. Veronica cried: "Say something! Say something!" He could save Himself, but Jesus remained silent as they spat and insulted Him. His back became a mass of welts and torn flesh. Jesus was barefoot; His sandals had fallen off ad they banged a stake higher into the pole and raised poor Jesus up so His toes barely touched the floor. The floor was just dirt and blood. The soldier remarked: "Maybe they cut out His tongue. Ha, ha!" Our poor Jesus remained silent.

Off to the side I saw a room; there was a large kettle-like pot, real old-looking; of rough metal, a deep reddish brown in color- very large. Underneath was a fire burning; there was a heavy liquid bubbling. Off to the side was another longer, metal receptacle filled with water. There were two soldiers dressed in short dresses - short, knee-length skirts - with pointed, metal pieces hanging down in a pattern of triangles all around the waist, front and back.

They had a metal vest-like covering on their chests and silver-colored, metal headpieces that were shaped like a cap but swooped up to a flowing design on the top. Three other men were almost naked; dressed in diaper-like clothing. They were holding a long piece of metal; they placed the end in the large kettle; it had a red, hot glow. Then the third man had a large mallet-like hammer and he beat on the hot metal. He was pounding it round and round until it looked like a spike. He would then douse it in that metal water trough.

Two soldiers were talking over at the side; later they took the five spikes (there were five large spikes made). Veronica then saw Jesus; He had been cut from the post and had fallen over. A soldier roughly pulled Him over to a wicker-like stool and plunked Jesus onto it. Poor Jesus hung forward, and a nasty soldier put a long stick in His hands to balance Him up, and yelled: "Ha, Ha! So this is 'the King of the Jews.' Let's dress Him as fitting!" The soldier went outside to return with an armful of briars...bush. He used the metal tongs to make it easier to handle. He made a sort of cap and stuffed a circlet of briars into it; in that way he could handle it better and shove it on poor Jesus' head. The thorns were too hard to weave, stay together, so the cap was thought of. It was so big and kept batting it down with a stick! The sadist gloated as he swung. Jesus, dearest Savior, said never a word. The pain was excruciating. Tears coursed down the cheeks of our poor Jesus, but they were of sorrow. The greatest pain was in His heart!

Jesus' hands were tied again with the brown leather-like material, and He was dragged to His feet; the soldier draped His top gown over His torn back. Oh, I could see it stick to His oozing blood. Oh, it was horrible! Then a soldier pushed Jesus out of the hole-like entrance, and down a road. There were many people; all in a spirit of carnival. Two soldiers stood it up and another put Jesus over to it. Two soldiers started to tie His hands onto it. It was supported across His back and on the shoulders. It looked awfully heavy and awkward. The brown leather rope was taut across His elbow area. He seemed to be balancing and supporting the beam as He struggled on.

There were three ladies and a man walking off to one side with Him. The ladies were weeping silently. The man had his arm about a lady. The man was very tall. He had a long, brown gown on and he had a brown beard and dark brown hair. The ladies wore beige-colored gowns, but one lady had a purple coat- like garment over hers.
Jesus tripped and fell. He was so weak now; the beam had thrown Him off balance as He staggered. Poor Jesus fell. One nasty, old man ran out of the crowd to spit and kick Him - the nasty old beast! I tried to tear off my tunic to wipe the blood out of His eyes. It was awful! He looked up at me - the soldiers wouldn't let me through - I pulled at my hair in frustration and anguish. Jesus looked at me and I saw the Loce of an Eternal, glorious Promise. I cried: "What could I do?" I screamed: "Help Him! Help Him! Please!" I, Veronica, was helpless to lift the Cross. I could only hope to wipe His dear face. Soon a soldier grabbed a man out of the crowd; this man had a long gown on with stripes down the front, and he had a turban wrapped around his head with stripes in the front. He sure didn't want to carry the beam, but they knew Jesus couldn't make it to the outskirts of the town, so this man shouldered the beam while the insane crowd taunted. Jesus was pushed and pulled along; dirt and blood were all over Him. He was a picture of bloody grime...

I was retching - I was sick - Oh, such a horror! Such torture! How could they do this to Him? What did he do but love everyone! Beasts! Beasts! Soon the soldier ran up with the five spikes. When they reached the hill, there was a long piece of wood already on the ground. A soldier lifted the beam from the shoulders of this other man and threw it to the ground. Two other soldiers placed it on top of the long piece of wood to form a cross, long, all the way down and sort of sticking out at the top. They slammed one spike into the two beams and the cross was made.

Two lousy soldiers threw Jesus to the ground, and they pulled His arms out to stretch across the cross beam. Oh, how it hurt - the back was so turn. I could see the pain in Jesus' eyes, but He never uttered a word. He just looked sad. Then they took brown, leather-like cord and wrapped it around His wrists at the board bound to the board. Then they lifted and tied the wrists to the board; bound and wound the leather cord around the ankles and the wood to hold Him in place. Then the spikes were thrown onto the ground and one soldier got down on his knees and placed the spike in the center of the palm of poor Jesus' hand; with that metal mallet he drove it in through the skin and out into the board. I screamed! I threw up! This was repeated on the right hand. Then Jesus looked up to the sky. They started on the legs; one large spike into both feet; His right foot over the left, at a twisted sort of angle, placed to lie flat against each other. I retched as I heard the metal against flesh and bone and wood. One spike protruded out the other side. They hammered a block of wood under His poor feet, 'to line' em up,'they said. It was awful!

I looked off into the crowd; oh, there were only nine people there to stay with Jesus. I now knew His Mother, Mary Clephalus (the wife of Clopas), Mary Magdalen, and John. Oh, poor Jesus, never a word did He say as they nailed Him to the wood. Oh, such love! Soon, two soldiers lifted the head of the wood and three the bottom, carrying Jesus on the cross, and dropped the end into a hole; it went in with a thump! Jesus winced, and it tore His hands more. Blood was trickling down His face. He couldn't move His head. The pain was awful; each movement cut deep. It was awful! He sagged a bit, but pulled upward. The sagging tore more. Mary and Mary ran up to Him; they did not speak at first; they could talk with their eyes to each other. They didn't need words. John came over for Jesus' bottom tunic fell down. Oh, dear, He was almost naked. I turned away, but John ran over and tied sort of knots in it like a diaper. Oh, the humiliation to poor Jesus! Then Jesus said to John: "BEHOLD, JOHN, YOUR MOTHER, AND THIS, MOTHER, IS YOUR SON. I MUST GO TO THE FATHER SOON."

The crowd started to move off. Jesus cried: "ABBA, ABBA SABBA LA BEC TORI" - that is what if sounded like - a foreign sound. SABBA SABBA SABBA LA BEC TORI; I can't spell it well, just by sound. Then He looked up, "I THIRST!" This I heard in English. Water, yellowish water. Jesus' head hung down to His right. It became dark, so dark. Everyone went away but the nine; they all came close and Mary clung to His feet, wordless in sorrow.

Veronica finished the recitation of what she experienced to find her feet swollen and her arms sore; the feet marked and the hands stinging. Her wordless reaction was a mixture of wonder, joy, and love; joy that now she could join Jesus in His suffering and hold His hand on the Road to the Kingdom.

Directives from Heaven... https://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm

D8 - Blessed Virgin Mary PDF
D66 - The Passion of Christ (Part 1) PDF
D67 - The Passion of Christ (Part 2) PDF
D194 - Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces PDF

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